Making Scents
by vampyremiyu
Summary: Poor Sano is out of soap and borrows some of Mizuki's new shower gel.... And the day gets worse from there. Will there be a happy ending? Comedy and fluff.


MAKING SCENTS  
A Hana Kimi Challenge Fanfic

Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess

CHALLENGE: Flavors with more than one meaning: Raspberry

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I've been in the dark and brooding zone for a while. Something cute and funny is much needed for my mood (and my muses). So, here's a little piece of fluffy fun. A Standard Disclaimer appears at the end of the piece.

--

The day had been a long one. Too long in one young man's opinion. Between the comments and the funny stares, he was eager to get back to his dorm room and call it a day.

But that's where the trouble began.

Having stayed up way too late to study, Izumi Sano had forgotten about his evening bath routine. So before his roommate woke up, he decided on a quick shower. The warm water would wake him up quickly, he reasoned. However, there was one little problem.

'Dammit. Out of soap. And I can't get to the store until tomorrow. sigh Guess I'll have to borrow Mizuki's...'

He knew his roommate had a secret. A very BIG secret. Only he knew the truth. They did share the same bathroom, and when Mizuki first moved in, Sano thought nothing of walking in on his roommate to grab something of his.

Finding out that the guy you're now rooming with is really girl comes as quite a shock.

He was just slightly disappointed that she never returned the favor. Though he'd never admit it to anyone, even himself.

Mizuki Ashiya was very good at hiding her secret. At least at first. As the months passed, she seemed to be slipping, and it was Sano taking up the slack. He'd kindly remind her that she needed to be careful, nearly slipping up himself. She wasn't supposed to know that he knew. While she usually listened, there were times when even he could do nothing but hang his head at the obviousness of her nature.

'What is this? Shower...gel? And it smells like...! sniff sigh I really do have no choice...'

Thankfully, Mizuki had already left when he emerged. There was a small note on his desk indicating her whereabouts. The smiley face beside her name made him smile. With a little hope that the day would not be as bad as he feared, he finished donning his uniform and headed for his first class.

As classes dragged by, he noticed the awkward looks of his classmates, most specifically those that sat next to him. It took everything he had not to squirm in his seat.

"You ok, Sano?" Mizuki whispered as the teacher began the day's assignment.

He nodded. If she wasn't aware of the issue, he wasn't going to bring it up. Although the slight reddening of his cheeks was a clear indication he wasn't telling the whole truth.

During a break period, he heard one of his classmates sniff so loud it was apparent what he was doing. With a sidelong glare, the young man slinked back a few inches and eventually sunk back into his seat. The smell, or perhaps the angry stare in his direction, caused him to keep his distance.

Sano was grateful for the lunch bell. He thought about sneaking out to the store then. Plenty of time to kill as he didn't have plans.

But plans change in the blink of an eye.

"We're all getting together in the lounge. You have to join us!"

The word "no" nearly slipped from his lips. But before he could issue his response, Mizuki happily asked if he'd join them. The word slipped away before his mouth even opened.

"Ok," he muttered, returning the smile Mizuki had given him.

"Great! I didn't get a chance to tell you what happened this morning before you arrived in class," she replied.

"No...don't tell him about that!"

Sano merely shook his head. 'I'm such an idiot,' he berated himself as he joined the others. He could never say no to her. And while he could justify his need to go with the idea of making sure Mizuki's secret was kept safe, he knew it was deeper than that.

They'd all been seated, laughing and joking for some time before Shuichi Nakatsu paused and sniffed the air.

"Dude?"

"What?" Mizuki asked.

"Do you smell that?"

Mizuki wrinkled her nose, uncertain. "Smell?"

"What smell?" Sano asked innocently.

"It's...fruity," Nakatsu replied. He sniffed again, turning right, then left toward Sano. "I can't place it."

Another classmate whiffed the air, then quickly waved his hand in front of his face. "Fruit nothing! That's the eggs you scarfed down at breakfast."

Nakatsu threw his napkin at the young man. "Oh shut up!"

"I smell it too."

"And it isn't related to a fruit."

"Why you...!"

"Hey!"

Mizuki inhaled deeply, smiling over the antics of her friends. She smelled something fruity as well. It seemed familiar, but the smell of the cafeteria drowned most of it out.

"Do you smell anything Sano?"

"Nope."

Sano remained quiet for the duration of the conversation, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself. Shouldn't the smell have worn off by now? He couldn't remember Mizuki ever smelling as sweet as the fruit scented soap. Maybe it was something he had adjusted to. Or perhaps she'd only recently used the stuff. The bottle had been close to full.

The bell was his savior again, quickly collecting his things and wandering back into the classroom. There were only a few minor disruptions, and a pop quiz, which he failed miserably. Thankfully it didn't count for much, other than a guide to study by for the real thing tomorrow.

As the final bell rang, Sano quickly made a beeline for the door. He wouldn't be stopped this time, he knew. With a quick goodbye to his roommate and friends, he hurried away to the track for practice.

Running was the perfect release. Feeling the breeze against his face. Nothing but air beneath his feet when he jumped. Forgetting his troubles as his blood pumped adrenaline into his system. When his body finally returned to solid ground, he couldn't stop the smile that pulled at his lips.

"That was AWESOME!"

"Now if you can just pull that off at the next meet..."

"You were great!"

He'd completed several of his best runs to date, impressing not only his coach, but his teammates as well. It boosted his pride to know something had gone right today.

Until he got a whiff of himself in the locker room. The sweet smell he omitted earlier had turned stale due to his workout. Or so he thought. He hoped the hot water of the shower alone would help, but it didn't. With a sigh, he dressed quickly and jogged from the locker room and out onto the field.

'What's this...?'

But he was too late.

'Crap,' he muttered, over and over as he stared at the "closed" sign on the door of the campus store. 'And I'll never make it to the convenience store and back before curfew. Just great.'

Resigned, Izumi Sano made his way back to his dorm room. There would be a test tomorrow, and there was homework to be done. No reason his grades should suffer just because he had to borrow his roommate's shower gel.

Besides, he thought he smelled pretty good up until practice.

With yet another heavy sigh, Sano entered the dorm room. He was surprised to find Mizuki at her desk, asleep over her textbook. She didn't have to study for the test as much as he did. Her pop quiz score was one of the best in the class!

He reached for her and stopped. She looked like an angel bent over her desk. Long lashes graced pale, smooth skin. Her lips were slightly parted, such a temptation it took his breath away.

Voluntarily, he took a step back. If he didn't, he'd blow his own cover, as well as her own. Hands shaking, he dumped his books and equipment, and headed for the bathroom. Another hot shower would do him good, despite having to once again borrow the fruity smelling shower gel.

Dried, dressed and a little more relaxed, he emerged to find his roommate opening her eyes sleepily. Her eyes glanced at him, just briefly, before closing again. She muttered something incomprehensible and appeared to go back to sleep.

With the towel around his neck he approached, and shook her shoulder lightly. "Mizuki? If you're tired, you should go to bed."

"No," came the muffled and somewhat incoherent response. "Need to shower..."

"Do it in the morning," he suggested, drying his hair one more time before setting the towel over the back of his desk chair.

There was a pause before he saw her chair move and her body struggle to stand. He sat in his chair, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He waited until the door closed and the sound of water hit his ears before he pulled out his textbook to study.

Somewhere between concentration and sleep did Sano realize how late it was. Mizuki had come out of the bathroom at some point. He'd heard her mutter something about the test and thought she'd resumed studying. One look over his shoulder solidified his theory.

Wearily, he closed his textbook and stood from his desk. Wiping his eyes with the back of one hand, he made certain his things were in order. One more trip to the bathroom ensured he'd be good until the next morning.

Then he turned his attention to Mizuki. He could just wake her up and tell her to go to bed. Instead, he closed her text and gathered her notes into a neat pile. With ease, he lifted her from her seat, careful not touch anywhere that would quickly wake her.

He thought of laying her in her bed, but the top bunk was just out of reach. Sighing, he placed her in his bed. It was unavoidable. Still, he groaned. He wasn't sure he could endure the torture tonight. Yet as he laid beside her, inhaling the delicious smell of raspberry and vanilla, he felt a calm he'd wished he'd felt all day long. It felt natural to have Mizuki beside him, and for once he was quite comfortable with the arrangement.

Until she snuggled against his side. Her small frame pressed his against his larger one. And she neglected to put on her vest. Again.

'It's going to be a long night,' he pondered with an internal curse.

"Sano?"

His body stiffened in response. "Yeah?"

"I smell...raspberries. You smell...like yawn raspberries."

He exhaled slowly. Should he tell her the truth? "Is that...bad?"

"Hm-mmm," she muttered, pressing closer. "No. You...smell good."

Shocked, Sano felt his muscles relax a little. "Oh."

"But..."

He froze up again, her tone of voice and soft flesh forcing him to nearly choke on his own spit. His nervousness was hardly veiled when he asked, "But?"

She inhaled deeply and sighed. Her smile was lazy and happy. "But I think strawberry --yawn-- would be a better scent...on you."

"Oh." He forced himself to relax. "Strawberry, huh?"

"Uh-huh. The vanilla is a nice touch too." Her words faded, and he thought she had fallen asleep. But her muttered words sounded like music to his ears. "I like it. Very much."

"I'll remember that."

He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or just pass out cold. Inhaling deeply, he let the air out slowly, calming himself. His body melted, muscles relaxing into the mattress and allowing her to sink even closer. Her arm tightened around his waist, but he hardly noticed.

With a dopey grin, he whispered, "Good night, Mizuki."

There was no response from her. Her even breathing a sigh of her state of rest. He felt his own heart slow, beat steady, and the darkness of sleep surrounded him. He thought of tomorrow's events. Of the test he would have to endure. And of the one task he could not fail at before nightfall.

'But do they make a strawberry scented man's soap?'

--OWARI--

DISLAIMER:  
I do not own Sano, Mizuki or Hana-Kimi. That distinct honor goes to Hisaya Nakajo. I'm only borrowing the aforementioned characters to satisfy a much needed fix. No money is being made so please do not sue. You wouldn't get much. Honest.


End file.
